SPREAD OUT YOUR VACATION THROUGHOUT DECEMBER
Something that
I've found
useful (and you may, too) is a strategy
for "spreading out your vacation." Here is a personal example: When
I was in college, during the Winter Break before one semester I read
an entire psychology textbook, which was the focal point for a course
I would take during the next semester. It
was very interesting, and
reading it all at once, as a whole, provided a unified overview for
how it all fit together. Then during
the semester, the time I would
have spent reading the textbook could be used in other ways: studying,
sleeping, relaxing, socializing,... Basically, the
reading time I invested
during the vacation became available to me later. You can do this with
your Thanksgiving Break. Of course you'll want to relax and enjoy your
break (especially with family, friends, ...) but there will be times when
you could study some (for chemistry and other subjects) in ways that
will help you in the following 4 weeks, for the rest of your semester,
and you'll get better grades, then you'll feel better when you get to
your Winter Break! :<) One key to this is working on projects that
won't be "over" too quickly. For
example, if I had worked on projects
for only the first three weeks of classes, after the first three weeks
it would have been "back to normal" with no time advantages. Instead,
my book-reading was a "whole semester project" that let me avoid reading
that would
have
been
spread
through
the whole semester, so (because this
already had been done)
I had extra time throughout the whole semester.
For you, this might be working on a late-semester project like a term paper.
/ Or if you want to make your FIRST WEEK back easier (and with a more
pleasant result when you get your grades!) you can use some of the time
to study for your next exam, in chemistry or another subject.
YOUR TA IS KIND TO BUNNY RABBITS
Monday, I'll show you the Bunny Picture (at Olbrich Gardens, with my
girl friend before she moved back to the warmth of her home-state, Florida)
in an effort to convince you that, despite my tough quizes, I'm a nice TA. :<)
[note: This was relevant for Chem 103, when I wrote my own quizzes.
In 108, instead it's enforcing late-penalties, which I don't enjoy but will do.]
SAFETY TIPS
There are railroad
tracks around Madison, some near campus, that
cross the road or sidewalk at an angle. When
they're wet these are
extremely slick, like ice, for a bicycle, so be sure to cross them
at a 90-degree angle. (If a train would be going east-west on the
tracks, you should be riding north-south.) I even saw a cyclist
crash in dry weather once, when his wheel got caught in a channel
next to the track when he didn't "square up" when crossing it. Also,
use a similar
"squaring up"
strategy when you you
bike
onto a
sidewalk, or your wheel can get stuck going parallel to the edge, and
(if you imagine what happens, or remember it like I do!) you'll get
slammed down onto the sidewalk. :<(
If you ride
your bike at night, wear white. (Rolling Stones)
Don't follow
leaders, watch your parkin' meters. (Bob Dylan)
CHEM
103 versus CHEM 108
note: This is what I told my students about Chem 108 when I taught Chem 103.
If you're
only taking one semester of chemistry, you
may want
to consider moving into Chem 108, which is designed to be a one-
semester course (not the first of two, as in Chem 103-104) and
is taught by Cathy Middlecamp, who is an excellent teacher.
If you're not sure what to do, attend both classes
for awhile
(her lecture is at 12:05 MWF, and she will have a lecture tomorrow,
Friday, September 2), and Cathy and the 108-TAs whose sections
you'd be able to attend, and then decide. (If you're in my 12:05
section and you want to attend Cathy's second lecture, next W,
just come to my 11:00 discussion section in B379. Or if this isn't
possible, come to my class at 12:05 W, and hers at 12:05 F.)
But to register for any chemistry course now (103,
108,...) you must
go to the General Chemistry office in Chem 1328, and ask the secretaries
(Diana and Susan, on left and right) if there is room in a section, and
if they can register you for it, if you decide to trade 103 for 108.
Here
is more information: Taking Chem 103 will keep more of
your options open, since (I think) any major that will accept 108
will also accept 103. But not vice versa. So you should find out
whether your majors require Chem 103 or 103-104,... / I'm saying
"majors" because many of you haven't yet decided, which is fine
because you may get excited about new ideas and you'll want to shift
directions, so staying flexible (especially if you're still early in your
college career) can be good. Also, after you take 108 you cannot get
credit for 103, or vice versa.
The reason I'm writing this "103 vs 108" section
is because
several times in the past I've talked with students whose major
(for example, BUSINESS) didn't specify taking either 103 or 108,
so they had an option, and we thought that taking 108 would have
worked better for them. So now instead of simply apologizing (for
not explaining the 108 option) I'm telling you about it early.
--------------------------------
PICTURES
note: This semester we may do this, or we may use your individual pictures.
Every semester
I take digital pictures of students because
1) it
helps me learn your names
2) you can
learn the names of your fellow students; I'll post
the pictures & names on a web-page (with no links to it) and
will write the URL on the board during class W.
How? We'll take pictures before each discussion
section on W.
Please arrive early, and
• don't wear a hat,
• arrange yourselves into groups of similar-looking students
(so we can learn to distinguish between similar-looking students),
• arrange yourselves in height-order with the shortest students nearest
to the
camera
(so you'll look more evenly-tall in the picture), and
• sign the list with the name you want people to call you. (Instead of
William, you may want to be Bill, and so on.)
Then what?
• I'll put pictures/names on a web-page, will give my students the URL,
but will not link to it. In the past everyone
has
had
their picture taken,
and there have never been any problems, but you have an option — just
don't have your picture
taken (I won't badger you or call attention to it)
and that will be OK. |
SEVEN HABITS, PYRAMID OF SUCCESS, CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Some principles for effective
living are general, spanning a wide range of worldviews:
The Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People (by Stephen Covey) summarizes and illustrates
valuable principles for living. I recommend reading this book.
To convince you that it's worth reading, there are summaries (by Covey) of The 7 Habits and (by others) a brief
review, an introductory
summary and a detailed summary in a 10-page outline: inside-out and overview and the habits.
A classic from John
Wooden,
whose UCLA teams won 10 basketball championships in 12 years (1964-1975),
is The Pyramid of Success for athletics and life. Wooden
began with his definition of success — "success is peace of mind,
which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made
the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable
of becoming" — and built a Pyramid
of Success that is useful
in all areas of life; you can learn
about each of the 15 blocks and print
the pyramid.
Conflict Resolution: useful
principles from U.S.
Navy & UC-Berkeley & The
Bible & Colman
McCarthy (re: turtles
and sharks,...) & Peacemaker
Ministries (for coaching
mediation arbitration) & 12
Skills (beginning with Win/Win) & Conflict
Resolution Information Source with LOTS of information if you're willing to click links and you like to explore.
JUST
FOR FUN
Olbrich
Gardens: Is on the east side of Madison, near the northeast
corner of Lake Monona. I especially
like the indoor gardens (like a
big greenhouse), a great place for a matinee date in February when it
looks like the Wisconsin winter will never end, and you're tired of the
snow and cold, you can get a little bit of tropical paradise. Check
their website, http://www.olbrich.org -- About
their indoor garden,
they say, "Enjoy a lush tropical conservatory year-round. This glass
pyramid is a sunny, green paradise filled with exotic plants, bright
flowers, a rushing waterfall, fragrant orchids and free-flying birds."
Allen Gardens:
nice landscaping, plants,...; a bit closer to home,
on the west side of campus, across the street from Steenbock Library.
University
Avenue Gardens: Across the street from your lecture hall
is a nice garden -- currently (just before Thanksgiving) the plants are not in
"blooming mode" but you can check out the landscaping, and imagine
what
it will be like in April/May when the plants become more active again.
UW Geology
Museum: gems, geology, fossils, black lights,...; it's
at Dayton & Charter; from Milan's
(which was at the corner of Charter
and Dayton before it closed),
walk straight across the street as far as you
can go, and you're near the front
door of the museum; look for signs.
ACTIVE
PRACTICE (by you, for you) for Chem 103 [or 108]
As
a TA, I've developed a system that seems to work very well
for me and my students, especially in the context of Prof Dahl's
course structure. (which I really like)
During "discussion sections" it's
mainly me explaining (very
simply and clearly) how to do each type of problem (for example,
we're beginning with Cat-9, converting from one description of
"how much" to another description) along with some questions by
you. Then you "internalize
it and make it your own" by actively
practicing it, by doing problems and thinking about what you're
doing, as suggested in the skier/welder handout.
In class, I'll talk about "head nodding" vs "blank paper" modes
of action, and strategies for internalizing-and-mastering.
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